Translation
by lahmrh
Summary: K/S. Kirk and Spock aren't together when Spock gets drunk and accidentally calls Kirk t'hy'la. It isn't until later that Kirk finds out what the word actually means...


This was written for a prompt on the kink meme: Pining!Spock gets drunk off of chocolate milk and accidentally calls Kirk T'hy'la. Jim laughs and doesn't worry about it until Uhura explains what the term actually means the next morning. (Kirk asks or the word was said in a party setting and she over heard.) Confrontation and sexytimes occur.

Again, sexytimes are strictly fade to black.

**Translation**

The party is in full swing when Kirk finally gets off duty. He finds his friends and crewmembers in varying stages of drunkenness – Sulu in particular seems about ten seconds from passing out. Kirk has a moment of longing – as captain, it would be unprofessional at best to get to that level of intoxication. Which is a pity, because with the month they've had it's an extremely attractive idea.

Kirk grabs a drink and looks around for somewhere to sit, spotting an empty seat next to his first officer. Spock tends to keep to the edges at gatherings like this, so it isn't really surprising that he's alone. As Kirk makes his way over to the corner of the room he is greeted by what seems to be half the crew. He feels a sense of accomplishment that he manages to remember all their names, although he thinks some of them wouldn't notice if he hadn't. He eventually makes it over to where Spock is sitting and drops down beside him.

"Hey," he greets, then nods at the bottle in Spock's hands. "What's that you're drinking?"

Spock looks at the bottle like he's never seen it before. "It is chocolate milk." He takes a swallow, and then turns to Kirk and actually _smiles_. Not a full smile, but much wider than the tiny twitch of lips he usually allows himself. "Jim," Spock says happily. "You are here."

"Yeah, I am," Kirk responds, mentally trying to figure out what the hell has happened to his friend. Something tugs at his mind, something about Vulcans and chocolate, but he can't quite remember. "Are you feeling all right?"

Spock nods enthusiastically. "I am fine." He takes another drink from the bottle.

"Why are you drinking chocolate milk?"

Spock looks down at the bottle again, and then says slowly, "Mister Scott gave it to me after I told him that alcohol does not affect Vulcans."

Suddenly Kirk remembers what it was he'd read about chocolate, and winces. "How many of those have you had?" he asks.

Spock considers it for a moment, as if totalling it up. "A lot," he concludes.

Kirk frowns. Spock must be pretty far gone if he's being that inaccurate. He leans towards the Vulcan and lays a hand on his arm. "That doesn't seem like you. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I…" Spock frowns, and shakes his head. "I am not." A look of pure misery crosses his face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kirk asks, gently rubbing Spock's arm. There's only one subject he can think of that would make his friend this upset, but he's slightly wary about bringing it up after what happened last time. Spock doesn't exactly seem to be in a strangling mood at present, but Kirk thinks he'd really prefer not to risk it.

Spock shakes his head again. "You would not understand."

Kirk tries to look encouraging. "Try me."

Spock glances at him, and then looks down at his hands. "There is a member of the crew that I wish to become involved with, but they do not want me."

Kirk feels an ache in his chest at the idea that Spock might have feelings for someone. He'd thought after Uhura and Spock had broken up he might have a chance. But he pushes it down, and focuses on being a friend. "Have you talked to them about it?"

"No." Spock shakes his head and takes another drink from the bottle. He sets it down on the table next to him, needing two attempts. "The room is spinning," he says, sounding almost offended by the idea.

Kirk frowns. In his experience the 'room spinning' stage is generally followed by the 'puking your guts out' stage. Admittedly he has no knowledge of how it works in Vulcans, but he thinks it might be a good idea to get Spock out of here. He puts his drink down next to Spock's, and stands up resolutely. "C'mon," he says, pulling gently on Spock's arm. "I think you need to lie down."

Spock stands up obediently and takes a few steps towards the door before stumbling. Kirk quickly stops him from falling and then pulls Spock's arm around his shoulder. Spock smiles again, and Kirk can't help but smile back. "Let's get you to your quarters."

They garner several particularly interested looks from members of the crew as he leads Spock out of the recreation room and towards his quarters. Kirk isn't surprised; the first officer is just about the last person on the ship that anyone would expect to get drunk. Kirk wonders if Spock will remember all this tomorrow, and if so, what his reaction will be.

In the turbolift Spock leans against him heavily and rests his head on Kirk's shoulder. Kirk thinks he could get used to the feeling and is a little disappointed when the doors open and Spock straightens up.

When they make it to Spock's quarters it takes the Vulcan a few moments to remember the entry code. When Spock finally remembers, Kirk passes through the doorway and deposits him on the bed. "Are you going to be all right from here?" he asks.

Spock nods. "Thank you, t'hy'la."

Before he can ask what that word means, Spock is curling himself up on the bed, apparently preparing to go to sleep. Kirk leans against the wall, thinking about their conversation earlier. "Look, I think you should tell whoever it is how you feel. Maybe you're wrong about them."

There is no response. Kirk shrugs and lets himself out, making a mental note to ask Uhura about the strange word tomorrow.

--------

It isn't until he sees Uhura at breakfast the next morning that Kirk remembers the word he wanted to ask her about. He orders a bowl of oatmeal and wanders over to sit at her table.

She glances up as he sits down. "Is there something you want?"

"Yes, actually." Kirk takes a spoonful of oatmeal. "There's this Vulcan word I need translating."

"What word?" She looks interested.

Kirk frowns. "T'hy'la?" He figures he must have got the pronunciation vaguely right when Uhura's eyes widen.

"Where did you hear it?" she asks. There's an expression on her face that Kirk can't identify. He's beginning to think that Spock's ex-girlfriend might not be the best person to ask about this.

"Spock called me it last night." Kirk swallows, wondering if he really wants to know. "Why, what does it mean?"

She looks away. "It doesn't translate exactly."

Kirk stares at her, oatmeal forgotten. "Try."

She sighs. "It has multiple meanings. Friend, brother, lover. Usually all of the above."

Kirk blinks. "Lover?" He waves a hand. "We're not... we haven't... are you _sure_?"

Uhura gives him a look. "I've given you the translation." She determinedly turns back to her breakfast. "If there isn't anything else, I suggest you go talk to Spock."

Kirk nods absently as he stands up, his mind already elsewhere. As he heads towards Spock's quarters he remembers their conversation from last night. Surely Spock couldn't have been talking about him?

Kirk buzzes for entry at Spock's cabin and steps inside when the door opens. The lights are dimmed, and he can see Spock still curled up on the bed. He crosses the room and sits down next to the Vulcan. "How are you feeling?" he asks quietly.

Spock slowly raises himself to a sitting position. "I am having difficulty controlling the pain in my head."

Kirk grimaces in sympathy. "It's called a hangover."

Spock closes his eyes briefly, leaning against the wall. "Why do humans consider intoxication a pleasant experience?" he mumbles.

"Well, it's the bit before this that's usually the pleasant part," Kirk replies. "How much do you remember about last night?" He watches as a faint green flush spreads across Spock's cheeks.

"All of it," Spock replies, nearly inaudible.

"Do you remember calling me t'hy'la?"

Spock's eyes widen slightly.

Kirk looks down at the bedcovers. "I asked Uhura what it meant, and she told me one of the definitions is 'lover'. Now we're not, so the only thing I can think of is that you want us to be. Am I right?" He meets Spock's eyes.

Spock gives a short nod, and looks away. "I understand if you do not feel the same," he says quietly.

Kirk gapes at him. "Why do you think I came all the way up here? To throw it in your face?" He runs a hand down Spock's arm. "Of _course _I feel the same."

It's not quite a smile, but as he watches Spock's eyes light up, Kirk thinks he doesn't care. He leans forward and very lightly brushes their lips together, smiling as he pulls back. "I've wanted to do that for months." Spock doesn't respond, instead pulling Kirk forward into another kiss.

--------

The next time Spock calls him t'hy'la, Kirk is happy to note that all three definitions apply.


End file.
